Tigress and the Masters of the Black Lotus
by EvilDrTran
Summary: A story set a short time after Kung Fu Panda 2.  Master Tigress is forced to participate in the Trials of the Black Lotus.  With all her discipline, skill, and training, will it be enough for her to overcome the tests?  How does Po fit into her ordeals?
1. Preface: The Legend of the Black Lotus

Introduction: The Legend of the Black Lotus

By EDT

A long time ago, there was once a mighty martial artist that went by the name of the Black Lotus. In her mastery of kung fu, no one during her time could defeat her. Despite her successes, there was one thing she feared more than any opponent she ever faced. It was her mortality.

Driven by her vanity and fear of death, she turned her talents to the evil art of black magic. Through her studies, she discovered that there were two ways to prolong her beauty and extend her life. One way was to sacrifice three female children and the other was to sacrifice the life of a highly skilled female kung fu master.

Of course, the Black Lotus chose the easier path and chose children rather than a kung fu master. She ordered her three pupils to kidnap the children. Soon, Master Salamander, Master Takin, and Master Osprey found the three children suited for her dark ritual.

In observance of a full moon, the Black Lotus and her pupils began the ritual. However, before she could sacrifice the lives of the children, the Great Dragon Jade Emperor descended down from his Celestial Palace in heaven and interrupted the evil sorceress. The disruption sabotaged the ritual and the Jade Emperor banished the Black Lotus and her servants into the Wandering Realm.

"If you desire immortality at such high price, then we shall make it a contest," the Jade Emperor proclaimed. "Every fifty years, you will be allowed an opportunity to extend your life. You are allowed to claim three children and bring them into the Wandering Realm. However, a female Kung Fu Master must be allowed to fight to free the children. If you or your pupils are able to defeat the master, her soul and the lives of any still captive child will be yours to keep."

The Black Lotus agreed to those terms. So every fifty years, the Wandering Realm would open up to the Mortal world and three children would be kidnapped. Each time, a kung fu master was able to free all three children successfully. However, none of the chosen masters have yet defeated the Black Lotus herself nor return safely from the Wandering Realm.


	2. Prologue & Chapter 1: Morning Spar

Tigress and the Masters of the Black Lotus

By EDT

Disclaimer:

Kung Fu Panda and its characters are owned by Dreamworks SKG. The following material is intended to entertain free of charge and without profit.

Prologue:

Night time in the Valley of Peace, the full moon illuminated the landscape with its serene splendor. Beneath the quiet gaze of the stars, sinister motives are afoot. On the rooftop of the Bao Gu Orphanage, a figure dressed in black robes with a large round hat stood and waited. The figure was a black bear with a chest of fur shaped like a chevron.

Behind him was a large cage and perched on the metal cell was a flock of vultures, four and all each sporting a breastplate with an emblem of the Black Lotus. His ages old blue eyes gazed at the moon and wondered how many more of these forays into the mortal realm he had to partake to satisfy the Lady Black Lotus.

Moments later, three figures ascended the roof top each with a small child in hand. They were jackals they donned armor also marked by the Black Lotus emblem. Their maws wore a sinister grin and their presence would intimidate just about anyone.

"Master Suon," the first jackal said and snorted through his nostrils. "We have the children."

The black bear looked over his three young captives who were restrained from escaping and screaming. One of them was a pink male piglet, another was a black furred rabbit, and the third was a brown duckling. All were of the required age and health for the Black Lotus's ritual.

"Very good, put them in the cage and head back to the realm. I will personally deliver the challenge decree to the Kung Fu Master."

"Understood, Master Suon," the head jackal said and bowed. The subordinate looked over to his canine colleagues and placed the frightened children into the cage. When the cage was latched and locked, all three jackals seated themselves on to the container. The vultures flapped their wings without any hint of labor and lifted the cell into the twilight. Under the moon's light, a jade colored portal illuminated the night sky and the flock of vultures, the jackals, and the cage entered the opening and vanished.

Suon watched as the green portal closed in on itself and turned his attention across the Valley of Peace. He jumped off the roof and landed. He walked down a path towards his destination at a steady pace, the Jade Temple; where he will deliver the Black Lotus's decree.

Chapter 1: Morning Spar

Atop the mountain that overlooked the Valley of Peace stood the Jade Palace, home of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. It was a mild spring day and within the walls of the training hall, the feral Master Tigress was ready for her sparring match. Her opponent, the Dragon Warrior and friend, Po. The Panda gave her a martial salute and went into a battle stance. Tigress grinned and returned the gesture. On the side lines of the sparring mat were the rest of the Furious Five with all of their gazes fixated at Tigress and Po's match.

Since after their battle with the mad peacock Lord Shen, Tigress and the five wanted to explore Po's Inner Peace technique to see how it complemented their individual fighting styles. For Tigress, she was curious to see if her attacks could penetrate his defenses.

"Po, are you ready?" Tigress asked.

"Ready!" the black and white warrior replied.

"When Monkey rings the bell, that's the end of the match, alright?" Tigress said, "If I land three blows, I win the match."

"Got it! Let's rumble!" Po said with a big smile as he moved his right foot in a graceful circular motion upon the sparring mat.

Tigress felt a wave of serenity that emanated from Po. No doubt the same sensation that aided the panda against the cannonballs fired from Shen's weapons. For Tigress, Po's performance was phenomenal and a far cry from his novice days as a dragon warrior. She gained a new level of respect of the panda's growing mastery of kung fu. Above all else, Tigress felt fortunate to have met such a talented warrior whose heart was pure and full of life.

Tigress shook the thought from her mind and focused on the present. Deflecting projectiles was one thing but how effective is it in hand-to-hand combat? That was the question that piqued her curiosity since Po's demonstration of Inner Peace.

At a blinding speed, Tigress jumped at Po with a flying kick. She felt Po's hand briefly catching her extended feet and then allowed her momentum to slip along his chest. She landed next to him on all fours limbs and attempted a leg swipe against the panda.

Po lifted his left leg to avoid getting swept. The tiger twisted around to attack the dragon warrior with a series of punching combinations. Despite her flurry of fists and attempts to land a blow on her opponent, Po continually reversed Tigress's momentum against her.

For the next ten minutes, she tried every offense to her knowledge and could not find a way past the dragon warrior's defenses. Her attacks were either deflected, bounced, slipped, or reversed. Throughout the match, she noticed that Po didn't seem to struggle against her attacks. His defensive moves seemed effortless, fluid, and easy.

The bell chimed and both opponents ended their spar and bowed to each other. The rest of the furious five quickly gathered around Tigress and Po.

"That was really something!" Mantis said while perched on Monkey's shoulder. While monkey gave Po a thumbs up.

Viper was all smiles and nodded in agreement.

"I'm impressed Po, I couldn't land a single hit," Tigress said.

"It wasn't easy, I was beginning to slow down abit towards the end. You were really fast!"

"You could have fooled me. You made it look easy. I guess you were saved by the bell. Otherwise, had I persisted. I would've gone through your defenses." Tigress said and softly punched Po on the arm and smiled at him.

"Yeah well..." Po said in a sheepish manner, looked away, and chuckled.

Then Tigress heard the rest of the furious five snickering quietly and she noticed that all of them wore a mischievous expression. Mantis, Viper, Monkey, and Crane didn't do a very good job of hiding an inside joke to which Tigress wasn't privy.

"What are you all snickering about?" Tigress said.

"Oh nothing," Viper said and turned her gaze away.

"Tell me! I want to know what's so funny?"

"It's something that we noticed," Monkey said in a teasing manner.

"Which is?"

"Well..." Crane started to explain but he was interrupted when the doors to the training hall suddenly flew open. A large bear dressed in a black robe and round flat hat took four steps into the building.

"What's the meaning of this intrusion?" Tigress said as she and the rest of the kung fu masters jet across the hall to confront the trespasser.

"Master Tigress, I presume?" said the bear with the white chevron chest.

"Yes, I'm Master Tigress."

"I'm Master Suon of the Wandering Realm, I have a message from the Lady Black Lotus." The bear held out a balled fist which immediately put Tigress and the masters into a defensive posture. The stranger smirked and opened his fist to reveal an onyx handled scroll. He simply handed the rolled up document over to Tigress.

When she took the scroll from Suon and pulled it open. Tigress read the document.

_By Decree of the Ruler of the Wandering Realm, The Lady Black Lotus. You, Master Tigress, have been chosen to participate in the Trials of the Black Lotus. By reading this decree, you are permanently locked into this commitment until you render your decision to participate. Refusal to participate will automatically forfeit the lives of three orphan children as well as the forfeiture of yours. You are allowed one companion to accompany you to witness your participation, no more and no less. Further details will be divulged upon your arrival._

Suddenly a black aura suddenly surrounded Tigress and she was caught off guard by a sharp pain that overtook her heart. She screamed and clenched her chest and fell forward on her knees.

"Tigress!" Po and the others screamed. Without hesitation they all launched at Suon only to fly through him. His form became translucent and almost vaporous.

The black-robed master chuckled in a low grave tone. "I will return again tonight at the foot of grand stairway. Contemplate your decision by then."

With that proclamation, Suon created a green portal beside his form, he stepped through the magical opening, and disappeared into thin air.

Tigress felt Po's arms around her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he said.

"It's okay I'm fine, I can stand," she said.

"Who was that weirdo?" Po said. "I've never seen that kind of kung fu before."

"What you witnessed wasn't kung fu."

"What was it?"

"Black magic."

"Tigress, what was in the scroll?" Viper asked.

"I'm not sure what to make of it, I think I should to talk to Master Shifu."

A few minutes later, at the Sacred Pool of Tears, Master Tigress and the rest of the Kung Fu masters gathered around Master Shifu. The red panda twitched his ear as he read the decree of the Black Lotus. From what Tigress could tell of her teacher's expression, he looked very concerned.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this, Master Shifu?" she asked. "Who is this Black Lotus?

"Yes, a very long time ago, back in the early days of my training with Master Oogway. The Black Lotus is a witch. That's all I know for certain."

"What's the Wandering Realm?"

"The Wandering Realm is a plane of existence between our physical world and the spirit realm. Every fifty years, when the moon is at its fullest and the tides are at its lowest. The Wandering Realm overlaps our plane of existence. Roughly over a hundred years ago, a female master of your same skill level participated in the Trials of the Black Lotus. She was accompanied by Master Oogway to play witness to the event."

"What was the master's name?" Tigress asked.

"Her name was Whirlwind Wolf."

"So what happened when Master Wolf and Oogway went into the Wandering Realm?"

"I asked Master Oogway the same question and the odd thing was that he didn't remember. He said that going into the Wandering Realm was like living through a dream. He could only recall emotions but not the actual memories that explained those emotions. Nevertheless, he returned with three children that were kidnapped."

"But what happened to Master Wolf?" Po asked in a quick manner.

Shifu looked at Tigress and she noticed sadness and a hint of fear entered his eyes. "She never returned."

Po's mouth was agape and he grabbed hold of Tigress's shoulder with a fearful wide eyed expression. "Tigress you can't go to the Wandering Realm! It's sounds like one of those weird places that could mess with your head! There's no way you're going!"

"I don't want to go either but I don't have a choice! If I don't go, those three children will die!"

Po suddenly quieted down with realization in his expression. "Oh. I didn't know that. Since I haven't read the contents of the scroll yet." Po didn't know what else to say to Tigress's predicament and crossed his arms in frustration and went into a deep contemplation off in the nearby corner of the plateau.

"So who are you going to choose to accompany you?" Shifu asked of Tigress.

"I'm not sure. I wished everyone can go but it seems that I can only pick one."

Shifu stroked his long beard. "Then I will suggest you take the Dragon Warrior."

Po suddenly turned around with enthusiasm and wrapped his arms around Tigress with a confident fervor. "Yeah! I will go! You and me! The totally bodacious Master Tigress and the Awesome Dragon Warrior will go to the Wandering Realm and kick some black magic bootay! Don't worry Master Shifu, I will watch Tigress's back! I will serve out some justice if anyone dares to try anything sneaky with her! Plus, I'm a good cook and oh! Oh! I have to go get some food stock and supplies from the kitchen before we leave! Not sure what they serve in the Wandering Realm but I'm sure it's nothing of this world. Don't want Tigress to get some weird illness just because she ate something there."

Tigress and the others watched as Po made his way back to the Jade Palace for supplies.

"The rest of you go back home and see to anything that might help Po and Tigress for their journey to the Wandering Realm," Shifu said to the rest of the Furious five. "Tigress, you stay here for a moment. I need to have a talk with you."

"Yes, master," Tigress said.

Shifu waited as her colleagues departed. When they were out of sight, Shifu's shoulders dipped slightly, he gripped his walking staff harder, and his large round ears relaxed downwards. Tigress knew from this body language that her master was deeply troubled. For a long moment, he didn't speak a word which only reinforced her deduction of Shifu's state of mind.

"Please sit," Shifu instructed.

Tigress sat on her knees and relaxed against her calves.

"Master Shifu?" She said to break the silence. "Are you alright?"

"Tigress, I am deeply worried."

Never before had Tigress seem worried about her well being. She didn't know how to to react so she chose not to say anything and only listened to her master's unexpected lamentation.

"When Master Oogway told me of his experience of the Wandering Realm, there was a detail in his story that I didn't want Po and the others to hear."

"Which is?"

"Since Master Oogway only remembered emotions from his journey into the realm, the most significant emotion he felt were strong feelings of loss, helplessness, and sadness. Feelings that are strongly associated with a tragic death. The thought of losing you troubles me greatly."

Tigress looked down, she didn't expect Shifu express his fears. "Don't worry about me Master, I won't allow myself to fall for the same fate as Master Whirlwind Wolf. I'm gonna do my best to break the bonds of Black Lotus's stupid spell."

Shifu did a sad grin, "I see a little bit Po's influence in your statement."

Tigress didn't quite understand what Shifu meant by that statement so she kept quiet and listened instead.

"Nevertheless, it would be in your favor that Po accompanied you on your journey. He might help you in ways that are either obvious or subtle. I want you to survive this ordeal and I want you to implement everything I've ever taught you since the day I met you. Understood?"

"Yes Master Shifu."

"Also, since you're going into a realm with rules that are alien to our own. You may have to unlearn what I've taught you in order to succeed."

Tigress felt her eyes fell wide open and monetarily confused by his statement, "I'm not sure I follow."

Shifu breathed in and exhaled in a calming manner for himself. He walked over to tigress and held her cheeks in his small twig like hands. For the first time since his adoption of her, he gazed at her like not as a master but more like a father concerned for his daughter's safety.

"Tigress," he said. "You have worked very hard to control your emotions and your ability to control your temper has helped you focus in your training and growth. You have benefited tremendously from your mastery of focus and discipline." He released her cheeks and turned away and held his hands behind his back. "However, your control over your emotions have also been a detriment."

"A detriment? How so?"

"You used much of your strength to restrain yourself emotionally and physically. Now that you are headed into a realm of unknown factors, you may need to let go of those chains in order to unleash your fullest strength and potential."

This didn't sit well with Tigress, she felt uneasy and afraid of her capabilities if her emotions went unchecked. "You want me to unlearn most of the things you taught me? To lose my temper? I don't want to lose control of myself."

"If its necessary," Shifu said. "I know it wont be easy. You have to overcome twenty years of meditation, exercises, and trained discipline. These have kept your emotions in check." He placed his small hand on her shoulder to re-assure her. "As Master Oogway once taught me, you must let go of the illusion of control. That's why I wanted Po to go with you. If you are to survive these trials, I feel that Po is the key to your safe return."

"But Master Shifu, if I don't check myself. I might end up hurting those closest to me."

The small master grinned at her with a sentimental yet patriarchal expression. "You can always think like a being of ice and behave as if you're a mountain of iron but you can never change the fact that you're a tiger. So promise me."

"Anything Master."

"Promise me you'll always have faith in yourself; trust yourself enough to succeed.

"I..." Tigress said and looked away briefly from her master's gaze. Then she allowed his words to sink in and looked into Shifu's warm expression. "I will do my best, Master Shifu."

Hours later, it was night time and at the main gate of the Jade Palace, Po was ready and wore his wooden back pack full of various provisions supplied to him by the furious five. Tigress was already at the bottom of the grand stairway waiting for him.

"Okay I've got everything, we need. Time to go meet that creepy bear and bust some Black Lotus butt!"

"Po, before you leave!" Shifu's voice shouted. "I have something to give you."

"Yes Master Shifu!" Po said as he turned towards the small master. Shifu handed the panda a small red silk pouch with a gold drawstring.

"This was Master Oogway's, he had me safe keep this item in case one of my students receive the Decree of the Black Lotus."

"What's in it?"

"It's grounded bark from the Heavenly Peach Tree. The only instruction he gave me was to give it to the participant when she's in dire need of it."

"What does it do?"

"Unknown," Shifu stated. "Not even Master Oogway was certain but he felt it could help in the safe return for the both of you."

Po didn't question Shifu and took the pouch and wore it around his neck. "Anything else, Master Shifu?"

"Yes, Po. There's one last thing that you need to do. Tigress's life could depend on it."

Po's eyes flew wide open and he jogged in place full of excitement. "Really? I'll do anything!"

"Figure out a way to make Tigress lose her temper."

Po froze in place as Master Shifu's words sunk in. "Say what?"

Tigress sat in meditation at the bottom of the grand stairway to await for the Suon's arrival. The day was full of unpleasant surprises and she wanted to stay focused before the journey. She could hear Po's arrival which sounded like a pair of careful footsteps. Perhaps in consideration as to not disturb her moment of peace. For awhile longer, she meditated and tried to focus on the flow of the universe.

Her ears perked at the sound of heavy footsteps headed towards their direction from the village. She opened her eyes, it was the Master Suon, the black bear strolled at a deliberate pace as if he was taking in the sites.

"Why don't you just step through that green hole thingy like you did when you left the Training hall?" Po asked of the visitor upon his arrival.

"I wanted to take my time and enjoy the sites of the Mortal realm. I only come here every fifty years, you know."

"Huh," Po said.

"Well, Master Tigress? What's your decision?"

"I will participate in the Trials of the Black Lotus," Tigress stated.

The black bear smiled. "My lady expected nothing less from a great warrior such as yourself." He said and lifted his hand and waved it in a circular motion to create the green portal. "You two, can go in first."

Tigress peered in closer at the portal. The opening was mired in a fog so she couldn't tell what was on the other side. She then gazed over at Po and looked into his emerald green eyes. In response, panda gave her an assuring and supportive nod. She went inside the portal first with Po following close behind her.

13


	3. Chapter 2: Master of the Lake

Chapter 2: Master of the Lake

By EDT

Disclaimer:

Kung Fu Panda and its characters are owned by Dreamworks SKG. The following material is intended to entertain free of charge and without profit.

Chapter 2: The Master of the Lake

The moment Tigress stepped through Suon's portal and into the Wandering Realm, she and Po were immediately greeted by the skies of the strange world which were grayish brown and its clouds were in a constant state of flowing movement. The sun radiated through the long clouds with its light which gave the realm an ethereal and surreal atmosphere. The mood wasn't exactly dreary just otherworldly.

They arrived at the shores of a large lake and across from their position was a small isle. The waters of the lake were eerily still and there was hardly a ripple to break the mirror-like reflection which gave an illusion of two worlds stacked upon each other.

Then Po gave Tigress a wide eyed expression and pointed at her. "What's that collar?"

"Huh, what?" Tigress said and felt a smooth stone collar around her neck.

"That is the collar of the Black Lotus," Suon said. "It was always on you ever since you read the black scroll. Coming into this realm allowed you to see it."

Tigress narrowed her eyes and bared her canines. "Why is it on me?"

"For insurance," Suon stated without a flinch in his demeanor. "It's bound to you until your completion of the trials. Any attempt of escape from this realm will cause the collar to steal your soul and awarded to the Black Lotus."

Then the black bear pointed across lake's small island. "Over there is your first trial, the Master of the Lake is awaiting your arrival. Take the small boat and make your way across the lake to meet him."

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait!" Po said. "I thought we were going to meet the Black Lotus first!"

Suon chuckled. "You will, eventually. Only if after Master Tigress defeated the three masters that are holding the children captive."

"Before I head over to meet the Master of the Lake," Tigress said. "I need to know the rules and details of these Trials."

"Of course, you are entitled. Rule number one: You must defeat the three masters to free the children. Rule number two: If you fail to defeat any of the masters, the souls of the children will be awarded to the Black Lotus and you are free to go."

"Which won't happen because Tigress won't allow it!" Po said.

"Rule number three: when all the children are free, it still leaves your soul for the Black Lotus's taking. You must earn your freedom by defeating the Black Lotus in combat."

"The final rule, your companion here is not allowed to get involved with your battles he is only to play witness and will serve as your healer. Anything more will result in your soul's forfeiture or that of the childrens'."

"Okay, the rules are," Po said. "One, defeat the masters. Two, don't lose. Three, defeat the Black Lotus. And four, I can't help during battles."

"Correct."

"Pfft," Po said in a nonchalant manner. "Doesn't sound so bad."

"Of course it doesn't, the way you put it," Tigress said. "The pressure is all on me, failure isn't an option. It's going to be easier said than done."

"Master Tigress shows her wisdom," Suon said. "Now go, the Master of the Lake awaits your arrival."

"Right," she said and turned towards the boat.

"Hey, Tigress," Po said. "Before you head out there."

"Yes, Po?"

"Show that master of the lake who's more awesome, okay?"

Tigress smiled at the Dragon Warrior's remark. "You know it. After all, that child out there needs me at my best."

Po nodded, smiled, and gave her a thumbs up.

Tigress smiled and returned the gesture. Then she looked outward towards the island in the center of the lake and stepped into the small boat. There was a paddle attachment at the stern to allow basic propulsion. She took hold of the handle and started to push back and forward to push herself forward along the water. She looked over to the shore and saw that Po wore a concerned expression on his face.

Tigress gave the panda a nod of assurance to let him know that she would be alright. He understood, smiled, raised his right hand high, and gave her another thumbs up. She smiled and felt thankful for Po's supportive nature. If there was anyone who could bring levity into such a dire situation. She was glad that it was Po that she chose to accompany her on her mission.

She focused her mind and looked towards her destination. Along the side of the boat she saw large forms swimming just below the waterline, they were large white carp. Probably curious about her presence there at the lake. She wondered how often the lake had visitors here? Probably very rare based on the size of the fish. If there had been visitors, the animals wouldn't so abundant.

As the island came into closer view, Tigress noticed a lone figure seated in a meditation style its back facing her. In front of the stranger was a small fawn suspended within a large crystal shaped like a lotus flower. The object was chest-high and wide enough for Tigress to wrap her arm around it completely. The crystal was clear like glass and its color was a slightly pink hue.

As her boat reached the shoreline, the figure stood up and turned around. Tigress stepped off the boat and walked over to the master of the lake. He was a large black salamander, his eyes were blue just like those of Master Suon's, his skin looked smooth and shiny. His head was almost as flat as a shovel and his fingers were frog-like. He held a staff with a long blade on its end.

"I am Master Salamander," he said, his voice surprisingly high pitched. "You are hear for the child, I presume?"

"I am."

"Prepare yourself!" Master Salamander said as he raised his bladed staff. Two large torrents of the lake's water swooped from behind the amphibian.

Master Tigress jumped away and landed on the small boat into a crouching position and her teeth bared.

"I see that you have very fast reflexes," Salamander said.

"Among other things," she said and narrowed her feral golden eyes.

"Then let us see how your skills hold up against my water attacks!" He said and spat a powerful jet stream of water from his mouth at Tigress.

She leaped high into the air to avoid the blast. As soon as the projectile of water reached her position, she landed on the stream, and slid down the water.

The salamander realized her move and closed his mouth to stop his water jet attack.

_Great! Not only does he know kung fu but he also knows magic._ Tigress thought as she launched from the final portion of the jet stream and landed in front of the master. She punched her opponent but the Salamander blocked her attack with his staff. He quickly turned away and tried sweep her off her feet with his slimy tail. She jumped to avoid the sweep but as soon as he turned towards her, she felt her chest punched by a fist wrapped within a layer of water.

The strength of the Salamander's attack was unexpected and Tigress felt herself skid harshly into the lake. The waters of the lake was ice cold and she quickly swam to the surface due to the shock of the freezing temperatures. She saw the master of the lake waving his spear around which caused the water around Tigress to swirl.

She found herself in a whirlpool and tried to swim out of its vortex currents. With all her kung fu training and might, she swam against the flow of water. The chilling effects of the water made her muscles scream in agony and she felt her body clench trying to hold every ounce of body heat within. This wasn't working out for her so she decided to take in a deep breath, dived, and swam with the current.

As she suspected, the whirlpool was at its weakest at the base, so she managed to swim away from the trap. She circled around the small island where the salamander waited for her to break surface. Thankfully, with her natural striping, there were long blades of underwater grass that camouflaged her approach. She put her position towards Salamander's back and without a moment to lose, she launched from the water right at her opponent, and started to throw some punches.

"You can't sneak up on me," Salamander said angrily. "You have to do better than that!" he said then blocked Tigress's punch with his staff. He twirled his staff to produce a wall of water at Tigress and again, she found herself in the lake.

_If only I can get close enough to my opponent,_ she thought. No matter how hard she tried, his water technique would always repel her advances. Just above her, she noticed a large carp curiously investigating her at close range while below her were the long blades of grass. An idea lit up her mind and she quickly pulled the vegetation from the lake bottom.

From the shores of the lake, Po watched as Tigress battled the Master of the Lake. The fight was almost getting too intense for him to watch. His favorite furious five member dueling it out with a kung fu master imbued with magic. He skirted up and down the waterline trying to get a better view of the battle. So far, from what Po could see, Tigress didn't seem to be doing too well against her opponent.

"Oh man, oh man," Po said frantically. "Please be ok," he said when he saw Tigress disappeared into waters of the lake for the second time. "Oh this sucks! I wish I could help her but I'm stuck here with you!" he said and pointed at Suon.

Suon shrugged and continued to observe the battle. "Interesting," he said.

**Po** watched as Tigress broke the surface of the water in an explosive matter. She managed to harness some long blades of grass around a giant carp's mouth and rode the fish like a horse.

The Salamander was stunned by this display and raised his staff to conjure up another wall of water. Within a short window of time, Tigress was above her opponent and used the giant carp as shield to deflect the deluge of water. The heroine used both feet and grasped the sides of the large fish.

She flipped forward somersaulting three times with the fish underneath her. She released the giant white carp and it flew at the Salamander like a missile. As if by reflex, the Master of the Lake threw up a wall of water to repel the fish. This helped opened up an attack for Tigress and flew at the Salamander with a flying kick.

"Wow!" Po said.

**Tigress's** kick landed on the wooden body of the staff. The black salamander lifted her up with both hands to push her away. Tigress used his motion to go up into the air and she flipped forward and straightened herself downwards. With her right fist balled and extended, she channeled all of her strength and focus.

Her fist impacted the Salamander's bladed staff with a forceful punch and in one split second, she shattered her enemy's weapon in two pieces. She felt a wave of magic released from the destruction of the weapon and knew right away that he could no longer use his water spells. The shock on Salamander's expression says it all to her and she quickly took advantage of his surprise to make short work of him.

Tigress kicked him in the belly. He keeled over in pain and she punched him in the face so hard that he cartwheeled sideways. When he landed, he tried to tail sweep her to throw off her balance but she lifted her leg to avoid the attack and stomped down on the tail.

The salamander sat up and screamed but she punched him immediately. When he fell back, Tigress stomped on his tail again, which made her enemy sat up and scream again. She put all her weight into her punch and knocked the amphibian out cold.

"Whoo! Yeah!" Po said from across the lake. "Now THAT was totally awesome!"

Tigress looked down at her fallen opponent and noticed his form started to wane and dissipate like a mist. When the Salamander completely disappeared, the lotus crystal that held the fawn captive shattered and the young child fell to the ground. Tigress ran over to the freed hostage and checked for any wounds. The young deer was dressed in a blue robe and her fur was golden brown.

"I'm free," said the young deer. She looked up at Tigress and gave her a look of awe and surprise. "Y-you're Master Tigress!"

Tigress smiled and nodded in confirmation. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I was really scared when they kidnapped me. Thank you so much for rescuing me!" The fawn said and gave Tigress a hug. The Master smiled and wrapped her large arms around the small youngster.

After a brief moment, Tigress gently pulled the young deer away from her. "What's your name, young one?"

"My name's Lin!"

"Let's get back to shore before it gets dark," Tigress said and sneezed.

"Bless you!"

"Congratulations on your victory," Suon said as Tigress and Lin landed their boat to the shore.

"Tigress, good work!" Po said excitedly. "You really showed that salamander a thing or two!"

"Thanks Po," Tigress said.

Lin gasped, "Wow! It's the Dragon Warrior! He's here too!"

Po smiled at the young deer. "Why hello there! What's your name?"

"My name's Lin! Pleased to meet you!"

While the two introduced each other, Tigress turned her attention to Suon. "What happened to the Master of the Lake? Did I kill him? He just vanished."

"No, you only defeated him. Just like this realm, he is awakened from sleep every fifty years to guard a child for the Lady Black Lotus."

"So he will rise up again in fifty years?"

"Unless you defeat the Lady, then he will sleep permanently."

"Alright, I've had my fill of black magic talk," Po said while carrying Lin on one of his shoulders. "Let's set up camp and I will serve up some of that famous noodle soup because I'm starving!"

"Yeah! Me too!" Lin said with her arms in the air.

Master Tigress felt a ticklish sensation coming from her sinuses. She tried to resist the urge to sneeze but ended up sneezing twice in a row; followed by a bit of runny nose.

"Bless you," Po and Lin said at the same time.

To Be Continued...

Please leave C and C! My muse lives off of it!


	4. Chapter 3: The Journal

Chapter 3: The Notebook

By EDT

Disclaimer:

Kung Fu Panda and its characters are owned by Dreamworks SKG. The following material is intended to entertain free of charge and without profit.

Chapter 3: The Journal

Nighttime fell and the skies of the Wandering Realm were colored a rich dark amethyst. Tigress, Po, Lin, and Suon were all gathered around the campfire. Tigress had a blanket wrapped around her and since the battle with Master Salamander she developed a cold. In response to her sneezing and running nose, Po decided to cook some noodle soup to help relieve Tigress's ailment.

Master Tigress sneezed again.

The little fawn, named Lin, looked very concern at the feline master and scooted close to her. "Are you alright, Master Tigress?"

"I'm fine, little one. It's only a slight cold," Tigress said, her voice was warm, and she smiled.

Tigress saw Lin looking over to Suon sitting across the campfire. The young fawn flickered her large ears nervously and slid closer to Tigress.

"He gives me the creeps," Lin said of the black bear.

"It's ok, I won't let him hurt you."

"Nor do I have the intention," Suon said in a dour tone of voice.

Lin only stuck her tongue at the black bear in response.

"What's your role in all of this?" Po asked Suon as he scooped a serving of noodles into several small bowls.

"I'm merely a guide on your journey."

"So what are you a master of, anyways?" The panda asked as he handed the Black bear a serving of noodle soup.

"I'm the master of servants in the Onyx Palace. I am also the gatekeeper of this realm. As appointed by the Jade Emperor himself to keep mortal travelers from getting lost."

"Does that mean you're supposed to be a neutral party?"

"In theory," Suon said.

Tigress noticed a perplexed look on Po's face after hearing the black bear's rather cryptic answer. "I wouldn't even bother trying to figure him out," she said to the Dragon Warrior.

"Yeah," Po said.

Tigress noticed that Suon was sniffing his bowl rather curiously and seemed hesitant to eat the soup.

"You don't like noodle soup?" Po asked.

"No it's not that," Suon said. "It's just that I haven't had any food from the mortal realm in ages."

"Well then, now's a good a time as any to try some of my family's famous noodle soup."

Tigress and Po watched as the black bear sipped from the broth rather gingerly. The expression on Suon looked as though he was immensely savoring the flavors of the noodle soup. A nice change from his perpetually glum look.

"Well?" Po asked. "Do you like it?"

Suon smacked his mouth as if the motion would prolong the flavors on his taste buds and looked at PO with a hint of approval in his eyes. "Good."

"You're just bursting with joy," Po said of Suon and sighed. The panda handed a different bowl of noodles over to Tigress along with a pair of chopsticks.

She sniffed the aroma of the broth and immediately felt warm and smiled softly. "It smells good."

"I did my best," Po said. "Now don't hesitate to ask for seconds. I didn't bring any dew from any gingko leaves so you're just going to have to put up with some wholesome noodle soup."

After battling in the cold waters against Master Salamander, she wasn't inclined to argue with the panda. With chopstick in paw, she wrapped the noodles around the utensils and started slurping up the noodles. Gracefully, of course.

"This is what I needed," she said. "Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me," he said. "It's the least I can do, since I can't fight alongside you. I'll do my best to help you through this mess any way I can."

After devouring all the noodles, Tigress grabbed a small blanket from Po's wooden back pack and wrapped it around young Lin. "So tell me about your family, Lin," she said.

Lin looked rather sad and wrapped the blanket around herself tight. "I-I dont have a family."

Tigress froze and found herself at a loss for words. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's alright. I lost my family during the great floods of the Yellow River. It took me a couple of years to get over that loss but living at the Bao Gu Orphanage has helped me tremendously."

"Really? That's very interesting because I used to live there."

"No way!" Lin said excitedly and gazed into Tigress with those big brown eyes. "You were an orphan too?"

Tigress nodded.

"How did you end up at the orphanage?"

For a moment, Tigress wasn't sure how to answer because she herself wasn't sure. "I...don't remember, to be quite honest,"she said. "I was very young. Now...it really doesn't matter, you know?"

"That's right! You're a great kung fu master now! I wanna be strong like you!"

Tigress chuckled at the youngster's remark. "It's time for you to get some sleep," she said as she patted the deer on the head.

The fawn settled into a sleeping position but she still looked as though she needed to say something before turning in for the night. "Master Tigress?"

"Yes, Lin?"

"Promise me you will rescue the other two orphans, ok? They're the closest thing I have for a family."

"I promise," she said with determination in her voice. "I'm not going to leave a child behind."

After Tigress tucked the fawn away. She looked over to Suon's part of the campfire and saw that he was already on his side fast asleep. Slightly out of her view, Po was on his belly doing something behind the campfire, she crept in closer to investigate what he was doing. When she went around the fire, she sneezed again which alerted Po her close proximity. She saw a small journal in front of the Panda and he was writing into it.

"What are you doing Po?" Tigress asked.

"Oh I'm just writing all that I've seen today in this journal."

"How come?"

"I remembered Master Shifu saying that Oogway didn't remember anything from his journey here. So I figured I should write our account on paper. Just in case we forget when we return home, we can read about it."

"I'm impressed," Tigress said. "Seems so simple, I don't know why I didn't think of that."

"Because you were too worried about more important things," Po said.

Tigress only smiled at his remark.

"Besides, I can't be a good witness if I don't write any of this stuff down."

"Try to tone down some of the extreme adjectives, ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know," Tigress said. "Words like totally awesome, or bodacity, or extreme righteousness. I don't want this account to be all bravado, ok?"

Po chuckled almost in a wry manner. "No gaurantees, Master Tigress. You fight. I write. Besides, it couldn't be helped if this journal ends up being one of the premier documents of kung fu history. We will let our readers decide if it deserves to be among the great echelons of folk history!"

Tigress lifted an eyebrow and grinned at him. "Right," she said and laid down. Her back faced away from Po. "Good night, Po."

"Good night, Tigress," he said.

"Po?"

"Yeah?"

Inside her blanket, Tigress tucked her legs against her chest and felt slightly hesitant. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

Their was a long silence between her and Po.

"Rest up and sweet dreams," Po finally said to her.

To Be Continued...

I hope you enjoyed that peaceful chapter! Please leave C and C!


	5. Chapter 4: Master of the Skies

Chapter 4: Master of the Skies

By EDT

Disclaimer:

I don't own these characters, Dreamworks does. The story you're about to read is for pure entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Master of the Skies

The party of Kung Fu masters continued onwards as they climbed rolling hills filled with tall golden grass. Tigress sneezed again and her stuffed sinuses produced a headache that made her feel even more miserable. Still, her situation could have been worse, if Po hadn't made any of his delicious noodle soup she would probably have been much more sick. The path they were on finally opened up and reveal the edge of a new terrain. The site before Tigress, Po, and Lin was something to behold.

Large gray boulders of varying shapes and sizes floated all around them. Some of the rocks had trees, some were just bare, while others were large enough to bear cascading waterfalls. Suon then pointed towards the skies beyond the floating rocks.

"The Master of the Skies is up there with the second child," the black bear said. "You will find him on the rock at the highest altitude."

Po turned to Tigress, "game time, watch yourself up there."

"Good Luck, Master Tigress!" Lin said.

Tigress smiled and nodded. She walked forward to the edge of a cliff face, she gazed down and saw that there wasn't a bottom; only clouds. The nearest floating boulder came into range and Tigress crouched to the ground and tensed her muscles. She launched from the ground and into the air towards the hovering rock.

Tigress landed on the rock and then bounded again to the next floating boulder. As she ascended the sky over each successive formation, the solid ground where Po and Lin stood looked further and further away. She continued to jump from one rock to the other steadily climbing the skies.

She finally made it to the rock at the highest altitude. Before exploring the immediate area, she dared herself to look down. She peered over the edge of the floating rock and couldn't help but whistle.

"Never been this high up before," she said. The solid ground was so far away that Po looked like a little black and white ant.

She turned towards the center of the rock and saw a lone tree. Underneath the tree was another Lotus shaped crystal, the master walked over to the area for a closer inspection. Inside the glass-like container was a little pink piglet dressed in a blue casual wear.

Without warning, Tigress suddenly screamed as she felt a violent blast of energy. The sensation traveled from her back up to her spine. She went down on her knees as blue sparks crackled and danced around her body.

"Foolish tiger, you let your guard down!" A voice said.

Tigress suddenly felt a large object hit her from behind and she went flying across the floor of the rock. She tumbled along the ground, regained her composure, and extended the claws of feet to anchor herself. The feline fighter gouged the earth beneath her as she came to a stop. She finally saw her attacking opponent.

Her enemy was a large bird of prey, whose feather was colored black and white. His beak was hooked shaped, his talons looked menacing, and his large round eyes had a piercing gaze that seem to be able to spot anything from a mile away.

"I'm Master Osprey," he said. "You will find your duel with me isn't as easy as Master Salamander's!" he pronounced and flew at her like a missile.

Tigress jumped to the side and barely missed her opponent's fast charge. The hawk turned in mid-flight and threw out blue pulsating orbs of lightning at her. She flipped backwards to avoid the first one and took cover behind a rock to miss the second orb.

The air crackled as the projectiles of electricity flew overhead. Then Tigress saw her enemy going higher into the atmosphere to circle over to her position for a better vantage point for firing off his magic attacks.

The next best thing to do was to keep on moving; so she decided to jump off the floating boulder and find a better area to defend against her opponent's offenses.

"Magic," she grumbled in annoyance as she descended through the air. "That coward couldn't even fight me in real combat."

She landed on a large floating rock with a thick patch of bamboo trees. Hopefully her natural striping could help mask her position from the flying master.

"Those trees aren't going to help you!" The Osprey said aloud.

_Maybe not,_ Tigress thought and heard thundering crashes of the master's lightning attack. She instinctively leaped from the protection of the bamboo trees. The small forest exploded behind her and several pieces of destroyed wood and vines careened all around her. The force of the blast knocked her senses but it wasn't enough to distract too badly.

She looked downwards over the ledge and saw that the next floating boulder had a cascading waterfall. Her eyes widened as she noticed that near the base of the waterfall were numerous rocks of varying sizes. Struck with an idea, Tigress grabbed two arm-length long pieces of vine and wrapped them around her waist. She quickly leaped over the side of the forested rock and onto the waterfall.

As soon as she reached her destination, Tigress charged through the cascading waterfall and immediately scanned the cave's floor for palm sized rocks. The master found what she wanted and tied a rock on each end of the two vines. Once finished, she had constructed to makeshift bolas. Her ears perked as she heard a distant flapping of wings closing in on her position.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Master Osprey said and rather confidently.

As soon as her opponent came within striking range, Tigress launched herself through the cold cascade and lunged at the bird of prey from the water fall. She lobbed two of her makeshift bolas at the Osprey, one whirled over his head while the other wrapped itself around his torso, effectively stopping the bird in mid-flight. He began to fall as he tried to desperately unravel himself. Tigress followed the bird's descent through the clouds while floating rocks passed her view at a harrowing free fall.

Tigress managed to grasp the black and white bird in her hands. She was still wet from jumping through the waterfall so this caused liquid to splash all over his feathers. Out of desperation, Master Osprey started to snap at Tigress's paws, fortunately, her hands were low enough to avoid getting punctured from his beak attacks. She turned the bird around and started to headbutt the back of the Osprey's head.

"There's only one way to end this fight," the winged master said almost groggy.

A large bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck Tigress with a tremendous blast of energy. Despite the tremendous shocking pain, she resisted the urge to scream and only hugged her opponent tight against her body. Another lightning bolt struck Tigress again and this time Master Osprey screamed. Even though he commanded the power of lightning, he wasn't immune to his own attacks especially since his feathers were still wet.

Tears welled up in Tigress's eyes and every muscle in her body, stung like a million needles, shivered, and twitched from the effects of electricity coursing throughout her body. Then she saw another bright flash quickly followed by the sound of thunder. The feline master instinctively twisted around and held the Osprey towards the skies to shield herself from the blast.

The lightning struck the bird full on and surges of electricity flowed from the opponent and throughout Master Tigress. As sparks crackled and popped the air, she let out a loud bestial pained roar that even the gods in the heavens could also hear. The Osprey's body crumbled between her fingers and his form disappeared into fine clouds of ash.

The victory felt hollow to her as the lightning strikes against her had taken their toll. Her arms and legs just flailed against the rushing air as she fell downwards. Fortunately, she fell onto a boulder that was covered in thick tall grass which broke her descent. She breathed heavily and felt terrible and for the first time...weak.

Being struck by lightning several times was probably the worst pain Tigress had ever felt in her life. If she hadn't trained so hard in Kung Fu, she probably would have died after the first strike of electricity. Now, she didn't care about her victory and the only thing she could do was to close her eyes and pass out.

Tigress had only left for fifteen minutes as Po and Lin stood and waited for her return. For a moment, he thought he heard distant thunder. Then he saw a vague silhouette of a bird far off in the heights above. Minutes later, he heard three consecutive cracks of thunder and most disturbing of all, he thought he recognized Tigress's bestial roar. Her call sounded as if she was in a lot pain, something he thought he would never hear.

What disturbed him most was long drawn out silence that followed. For awhile he kept his ears to the skies above to make out any hints of battle. The only thing he managed to hear were gusts of the wind.

"Climb onto my back, Lin," Po said to the young fawn. "We're going to go check on Master Tigress."

Lin nodded without question and did as instructed and as soon as she felt secured against his back, Po then turned to Suon.

"You can stay here," he said to the black bear. "Make sure you don't touch our supply."

Suon only shrugged at Po's statement.

The panda jumped to the nearest floating rock and made his way upwards to the skies.

"I hope Master Tigress is okay," Lin said.

"Me too, kiddo," Po said. "Me too.

Tigress stood in total darkness. "Tigress!" A familiar male voice said. A weak ambient light suddenly penetrated the darkness and she could almost recognize the round form of the former Master Oogway. Was it really him? She missed his warm wisdom so much. She felt herself being shaken awake, her vision went into focus, and realized that the round shape in front of her was Po.

"Wh-what?" She said groggily.

"Oh thank goodness," Po said full of relief in his voice. "You had me worried there for a moment."

Tigress held out her hand for Po to pull her up to her feet. As soon as she stood, she felt a sharp pain on her right shoulder, probably caused by her hard landing on the grassy rock. She noticed that her fingers started to twitch and random muscles throughout her body would go into a mild spasm. Then she let out a sneeze and sniffed her nose. Despite all of the electricity that she absorbed, all of that power still didn't get rid of her cold.

"Are you alright?" Po asked.

"I've had better days," she said "overall I'm alright. Come on, let's go find the second child."

"Did you beat the Master of the Skies?" the Panda asked.

Tigress nodded in confirmation, "It was a shocking experience to say the least," she said.

Tigress led Po and Lin from one floating boulder to the other as they leaped higher and higher, she could hear Po's labored breathing, jumping great heights was never really one of his strong suits. She started to hear Lin's snickering and then Po trying to silence the child.

"Sorry," Lin said, "I can't help it." Then the child snickered as quietly as she could manage.

"Shh," Po said politely to the fawn.

Tigress turned around and looked at Po curiously. "What's so funny?" she asked.

The panda went wide-eyed and tightened his lips while Lin clamped her mouth with both hooved hands and ducked behind his shoulder.

"Po?" she said again.

"Um..."

"Yes?"

He nervously pointed the at the small pool of water next to Tigress. "Check your reflection," he said while Lin snickered behind his back.

Tigress frowned slightly and knelt down to check her reflection in a nearby pool of water. "Oh no!" she cried out. The kung fu master was shocked by the image looking back at her, all of her fur stood on their end which caused them to stick out from underneath her clothing in an extreme way.

"You look like a big orange dandelion!" Lin said loudly and laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Tigress said as she tried to pat down her stiff electrified fur. "Let's go retrieve the second child, ok?"

To be continued...

Author's note: Sorry for the slight delay in sending out this chapter, I had to transfer my writings and files over to a new pc I just bought. So yeah, i've been occupied and trying my best not to play any games while writing on this new fangled pc (keeping discipline is hard ;-;!). I hope you're all enjoying this story so far! As I'm writing this fic, I have a nice little system where I'm almost writing two chapters at the same time and surprised at how quickly I'm churning out these installments. Hopefully the quality doesn't suffer too badly since I'm double checking and triple checking each chapter. Editing and adding content that would best serve the story. Again, thank you for your patience and please send me your comments!


	6. Chapter 5: Burdens to Keep

Chapter 5: Burdens to Keep

By EDT

Disclaimer:

All characters of Kung Fu Panda are owned by Dreamworks SKG. This story was written purely for entertainment and without profit motivation.

Chapter 5: Burdens to Keep

Around the campfire, Tigress still felt the twitching effects from her battle with Master Osprey. The electrical shock from the lightning used against her caused her body to spasm intermittently. Her fur stood on their end which made her feel like a giant orange puffball and her right eye half-blinked at irregular intervals. On top of that, she couldn't help but feel as though the battle with the lightning master had somehow compromised her natural fortitude. It's as if the electricity had physically weakened her.

Still, despite all of her physical detriments, her mind was relieved in knowing that she safeguarded another young girl's soul. The female piglet named Wen, sat next to Lin with her arms wrapped around the fawn's. She was still quite fearful of Suon. To calm the piglet's nerves, Po suggested that the children sat between himself and Tigress to give them an extra sense of safety.

Po's noodle soup was again served and each child devoured their meals to satisfy their voracious appetites. Especially for Wen, she seemed especially hungry once she smelled the aroma of Po's soup with her round snout. For Tigress, she hoped that the soup would reduce the added ailment of twitching and shuddering.

Po handed Tigress a serving of the aromatic broth and she started to eat her share. With chopstick in her trembling hands, she struggled to pinch a morsel of noodles. After two or three attempts to simply eat, Tigress frowned as the edible strands slipped through the sticks. She growled quietly with frustration and placed the bowl down on the ground.

"Is there anything in the backpack that might help ease some of my symptoms?" Tigress asked of Po.

"Let me check," he said and started to rummage through the provisions.

As Po occupied himself, Tigress picked the bowl of noodles off the ground and again tried to scoop some noodles into her mouth with her shaky hands. The simple act of eating was a chore and it annoyed her to no end how droplets of broth splashed all over her face and clothing. She managed to pinch a portion of noodles and quickly slurped them into her mouth.

Next to her, Wen and Lin giggled softly as they watched Tigress feed herself with trembling hands. The master felt a little embarrassed, gave a slight shrug to the kids, and continued to feed herself.

"I think I found something that might help relieve your shakes," Po said.

"What is it?"

Po showed her a wooden box and opened its lid to reveal a diagram of a tiger with arms extended and a portion of long needles inside it.

"Acupuncture needles?" Tigress said.

"Mantis must have put 'em in there before we left," he said.

"They're useless to me, the pressure points to relieve my shakes are all along my back. I couldn't possibly reach back there with any accuracy," Tigress said, then she noticed Po stiffening his lips and his eyes scanned from her to the needles back and forth. "Wait," she said. "you don't mean that you're going to attempt acupuncture on me, are you?"

"What else can we do?"

Tigress shook her head, "No. No way. I'm not going to let you try that on me!"

"Wha-Why not?" Po said his eyes almost begging. "I've been practicing!"

"Really? On who?"

Po looked down with apprehension, tapped his fingers on the acupuncture box kit, "...on straw dummies,"

Tigress lifted an eyebrow. "On straw dummies? Then, no. You might accidentally stop my heart."

"Oh come on! Don't worry! There's a manual in my pack that shows basic acupuncture. I swear! I'll be extra careful! Look, there's no medicine to fight off your shakes, so the best thing we have are these acupuncture needles. You're gonna need all that's available if you want to win these trials!"

Tigress let Po's words sank in and sighed. "Alright, you've made your point. However, we will wait until everyone else is asleep."

"Excellent!" Po said with relief in his voice.

Later that night, once Suon and the kids fell asleep, Tigress unbuttoned her red vest and pulled it off her torso. She wore body wraps under the vest as an undergarment. Her face felt flushed as she realized that she took off her vest without any regard of embarrassing Po. She looked over to his direction and noticed that his back was turned towards her and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Po opened the box of acupuncture needles as Master Tigress laid down forward on the ground and folded her arms to rest her head on. With the first needle in hand, he traced his finger along Tigress's back and pressed his thumbs on her pressure points. He felt her body tense and heard her gave a quiet hiss.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Po asked.

"No, it's just a bruise."

Po frowned at this but he continued on to search for more pressure points along Tigress's back. He pressed his round fingers up and down Tigress's back to initiate chi flow for the acupuncture. There were three spots throughout her striped back that garnered a pained reaction from the lady master.

"There are certainly more bruises than expected, Tigress," Po said.

"That's what happens when you get into fights, Po," she said rather defensively.

"I know I know but doesn't it concern you that you've accumulated so many bruises in only after two fights? When you full contact spar against me and the other furious five, you would probably gain one or two bruises and that's **after** we give it our all."

Tigress was silent as Po waited for her response, a moment passed and she sighed. "Master Shifu did warn me that I was going against unknown elements. All I can do now is persevere."

Po placed his palm on Tigress's lower back and pinned his first needle. "You're going to feel a swell of energy."

"I feel it," she said.

Then the panda carefully placed one needle just under her shoulder blade and the other in the middle of her back. This seemed to reduce the tiger's body shakes.

"How's that feel?"

"Mm. Much better," Tigress said. "You're a natural, Po."

"Yeah well," Po said and laughed a bit sheepishly. "I'm going to leave these needles in for a few minutes to let your body's chi flow heal your shakes. Meanwhile, I think it's journal time, so tell me how the fight went," he said as he grabbed his little notebook from the pack to record Tigress's account of the duel with the Master of the Skies.

"Alright," she said.

"Unless, you're too tired, of course," Po said with consideration in his expression.

"No, it'll be fine. I'm up for it. I don't mind. Let's get this done while my memory is still fresh from the fight."

"Right on!" Po said with a pencil ready and willing.

Tigress gave Po the details of the fight with Master Osprey which amused her to no end. It seemed that the Dragon Warrior was really getting into her story and his attention was very child-like and full of awe. However, despite his eagerness, his expression slowly gave way to a horrified expression once she reached the part of being struck by lightning three times.

When Tigress finished her account of the duel, she noticed that Po couldn't get that worried expression off his face. "Po? What's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me? This whole thing! What these stupid trials are doing to you! All these bruises, those lightning strikes! What impossible magic master are you going to face next time? And you know what's really terrible? I can't even help you! I wish...I wish I could take some of this burden away from you!"

Tigress kept her silence and buried her face into her arms. She hated the unknown as much as Po did. What bothered her the most was the unexpected intensity of the pain associated with her duels. Pain that she hasn't felt since her early days of training as a martial artist. Despite the hardships, she would rather bear the burden of these fights than let her friend partake in the same ordeal. She didn't want to see him hurt. She didn't want to be reminded of the time when Po took the full blast of Lord Shen's main cannon. Witnessing the dragon warrior being shot out of the foundry was an image forever burned within her memories. She thought she would never see his smile again? Or egg him on a bean bun challenge. Or counting on him to bring levity into an otherwise serious atmosphere back home.

No, she thought adamantly. She didn't want her friend hurt again. He meant a lot to her. She came to appreciate his light-hearted nature, his gift of gab, his encouraging attitude, his unwavering loyalty, his subtle wisdom, his jovial wit; she couldn't ask for a better friend. However, despite all of her feelings for Po...she couldn't bring herself to tell him this directly.

She heard Po let out a frustrated sigh and felt the removal of the acupuncture needles from her backside. "Thank you for the acupuncture, the shakes aren't as noticeable anymore," Tigress said as she pulled on her red silk vest. "I think I'll turn in for the night."

"Rest well, Tigress," Po said.

"You too, Po. Try not to worry so much. Alright? I'm hardcore, remember?"

Po forced a chuckle that still sounded worried, "Yes, yes you are."

To Be continued...


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